Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, November 2022
Released: 2023-01-26
$1,180.21
November 2022
4.2% 
(12-month change)
$1,178.30
November 2022
6.5%
(12-month change)
$994.16
November 2022
5.9%
(12-month change)
$1,031.80
November 2022
5.0%
(12-month change)
$1,076.99
November 2022
6.2%
(12-month change)
$1,124.11
November 2022
4.0%
(12-month change)
$1,203.64
November 2022
3.7%
(12-month change)
$1,076.52
November 2022
5.1%
(12-month change)
$1,149.77
November 2022
3.7%
(12-month change)
$1,277.78
November 2022
3.8%
(12-month change)
$1,177.45
November 2022
4.0%
(12-month change)
$1,352.38
November 2022
2.3%
(12-month change)
$1,579.40
November 2022
2.6%
(12-month change)
$1,579.90
November 2022
3.2%
(12-month change)
The number of employees receiving pay or benefits from their employer—measured as "payroll employees" in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours—remained essentially unchanged in November (+7,100).
Gain in payroll employment in the services-producing sector
Payroll employment in the services-producing sector increased by 13,500 (+0.1%) in November. Gains were recorded in 10 of the 15 sectors, led by professional, scientific and technical services (+5,600; +0.5%), public administration (+4,800; +0.4%) and finance and insurance (+4,700; +0.6%), while retail trade (-18,200; -0.9%) recorded a decline.
Payroll employment in the goods-producing sector was little changed in November, with a gain recorded in construction (+4,300; +0.4%).
Chart 1
Payroll employment little changed in November
Payroll employment continues to increase in professional, scientific and technical services
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services increased by 5,600 (+0.5%) in November, following an increase of 4,900 (+0.4%) in October. In November, seven provinces recorded payroll employment gains, led by Ontario (+2,300; +0.4%) and British Columbia (+1,800; +1.0%).
Nationally, seven out of nine industries within the sector recorded payroll employment increases in November, led by computer systems design and related services (+1,800; +0.5%), and architectural, engineering and related services (+1,700; +0.8%). Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services has been on an upward trend since June 2020, largely driven by steady monthly gains in computer systems design and related services. As of November 2022, payroll employment in this industry was up 118,400 (+44.9%) compared with June 2020. This increase accounted for nearly 42% of the overall growth in professional, scientific and technical services over the period.
Payroll employment in construction increases for the third consecutive month
Payroll employment in construction (+4,300; +0.4%) increased for the third consecutive month in November, bringing the total gains to 23,500 (+2.1%) since September 2022. Quebec (+2,400; +1.0%) and Alberta (+1,500; +0.9%) recorded the largest payroll employment gains, while slight declines were observed in Saskatchewan (-200; -0.6%), New Brunswick (-100; -0.6%) and Nova Scotia (-100; -0.5%).
Nationally, the payroll employment increase in construction was led by utility system construction (+1,700; +2.3%), other specialty trade contractors (+1,100; 0.8%), and residential building construction (+1,000; +0.6%).
Payroll employment in retail trade decreases in November
Payroll employment in retail trade decreased by 18,200 (-0.9%) in November, following a decline of 2,400 (-0.1%) in October. In November, most of the decline in the sector was concentrated in Ontario (-10,300; -1.4%), while Manitoba (+500; +0.8%) was the only province to record an increase.
Nationally, 11 out of 12 subsectors within retail trade recorded monthly payroll employment decreases, led by general merchandise stores (-5,100; -1.9%), non-store retailers (-2,500; -4.1%) and clothing and clothing accessories stores (-2,500; -1.3%). Monthly losses within these subsectors were driven by department stores (-4,200; -3.8%), direct selling establishments (-1,400; -6.1%) and clothing stores (-2,600; -1.6%).
Overall payroll employment in retail trade has declined by 20,500 (-1.0%) since April 2022, after recovering to its pre-pandemic level in March. The decline since April was concentrated in food and beverage stores (-6,900; -1.3%), general merchandise stores (-6,400; -2.4%) and sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores (-4,400; -5.4%).
Year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings stronger in the goods-producing sector in November
On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings rose 4.2% to $1,180 in November. Increases were recorded across all provinces, with the largest proportional gains in Newfoundland and Labrador (+6.5% to $1,178) and New Brunswick (+6.2% to $1,077). Overall gains in average weekly earnings were slightly moderated by slower growth in Saskatchewan (+3.7% to $1,150) and Ontario (+3.7% to $1,204). Growth in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment and hours worked.
Year over year, average weekly earnings in the goods-producing sector increased 5.3% in November. Gains in manufacturing (+6.3% to $1,261) and mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction (+5.7% to $2,362) were dampened by slower growth in construction (+3.6% to $1,468).
Meanwhile, the year-over-year gain in average weekly earnings in the services-producing sector was 3.6% in November, partially mitigating the overall gain. Robust gains in real estate and rental and leasing (+9.1% to $1,300) and retail trade (+6.1% to $701) were moderated by slower gains in administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (+0.7% to $967), arts, entertainment and recreation (+0.9% to $714) and health care and social assistance (+1.6% to $1,033).
Average weekly hours decline on a year-over-year basis in November
Average weekly hours worked were little changed from October but down 0.3% (to 33.3 hours) compared with November 2021. Health care and social assistance (-3.7%) recorded the largest year-over-year decrease in November 2022.
Overall job vacancies continue to decline in November
Job vacancies decreased in the professional, scientific and technical services (-11,500; -18.1%) and health care and social assistance (-19,300; -12.8%) sectors in November, but increased in construction (+11,200; +16.6%). Meanwhile, vacancies were little changed in accommodation and food services, retail trade and manufacturing. (Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data.)
Overall, the number of job vacancies across all sectors decreased by 20,700 (-2.4%) to 850,300 in November, down from the peak recorded in May 2022 (1,002,200) and the lowest level observed since August 2021.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand (the sum of filled and vacant positions)—was 4.8% in November 2022, the lowest rate since June 2021.
There were 1.2 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in November 2022, virtually unchanged since August, but up slightly from the low of 1.0 in June. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio hovered around 2.2 from January 2019 to February 2020.
Infographic 1
Unemployment-to-job-vacancy ratio has been steady since August
Job vacancies down in professional, scientific and technical services
There were 52,000 job vacancies in professional, scientific and technical services in November 2022, down 18.1% (-11,500) from October and down 29.0% from its peak of 73,200 in April 2022. The job vacancy rate decreased 0.9 percentage points in November to 4.2%, the lowest rate since February 2021 (4.6%). While vacancies in the sector have fallen in recent months, an upward trend in payroll employment has continued, with gains totalling 239,200 (+25.0%) since October 2020.
Job vacancies decline in health care and social assistance
In health care and social assistance, job vacancies decreased 12.8% (-19,300) to 131,800 in November 2022, while payroll employment was little changed. As a result, the job vacancy rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 5.6% in November. Despite this decline during the month, the number of job vacancies in the sector was 44.8% (+40,800) higher than in January 2021 and 82.5% (+59,600) higher than in March 2020 (at the onset of the pandemic).
Job vacancies up in construction
The number of job vacancies in construction rose by 11,200 (+16.6%) to 79,000 in November 2022, partly offsetting the decrease recorded in October (-15,700; -18.8%). On a year-over-year basis, the number of job vacancies in construction was little changed in November from November 2021 (73,900), while payroll employment increased by 54,100 (+5.0%).
Chart 2
Declines in the job vacancy rate since May 2022 have been broad-based
Job vacancies decrease in several provinces
Job vacancies decreased in six provinces in November, with the largest proportional decreases in Newfoundland and Labrador (-35.3% to 5,500), Manitoba (-26.5% to 20,600) and New Brunswick (-21.8% to 11,500). Ontario, Quebec and Alberta recorded smaller proportional declines, while the number of job vacancies was little changed in the remaining provinces (not seasonally adjusted).
Despite a decline in job vacancies (-21,700), Quebec remained the province with the lowest unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio for the 10th month in a row, with 0.8 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in November (not seasonally adjusted).
Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goals:
Note to readers
Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours
The key objective of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is to provide a monthly portrait of the level of earnings, employment and hours worked, by detailed industry, at the national, provincial and territorial levels.
Payroll employment, as measured by the SEPH, refers to the number of employees receiving pay or benefits (employment income) during a given month. The survey excludes the self-employed, owners and partners of unincorporated businesses and professional practices, and employees in the agricultural sector.
SEPH estimates are produced by integrating information from three sources: a census of approximately 1 million payroll deduction records provided by the Canada Revenue Agency; the Business Payrolls Survey, which collects data from a sample of 15,000 establishments; and administrative records of federal, provincial and territorial public administration employment, provided by these levels of government.
Estimates of average weekly earnings and hours worked are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Payroll employment estimates are based on a census of administrative records and are not subject to sampling variability.
With each release of SEPH data, data for the preceding month are revised. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Statistics Canada also produces employment estimates from its Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a monthly household survey, the main objective of which is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive groups: the employed (including the self-employed), the unemployed and those not in the labour force. This survey is the official source for the unemployment rate, and it collects data on the sociodemographic characteristics of all those in the labour market.
As a result of conceptual and methodological differences, estimates of changes from the SEPH and the LFS differ occasionally. However, the trends in the data are similar. To better understand the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and the SEPH, refer to Section 8 of the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate month-to-month comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Non-farm payroll employment data are for all hourly and salaried employees and for the "other employees" category, which includes piece-rate and commission-only employees.
Unless otherwise specified, average weekly hours data are for hourly and salaried employees only and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
All earnings data include overtime and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a NAICS code. Earnings data are based on gross taxable payroll before source deductions. Average weekly earnings are derived by dividing total weekly earnings by the number of payroll employees.
Job Vacancy and Wage Survey
Beginning with the release of October 2020 data, preliminary monthly estimates from the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) are published on a monthly basis. These estimates are available for the reference months starting from April 2015. These estimates provide more timely information on the number of job vacancies and the job vacancy rate by province and by industrial sector.
JVWS collection is done on a quarterly basis. The quarterly sample of business locations is allocated to the three collection months of the quarter, approximately balanced by province and by industrial sector across each of the three months. This allows both quarterly and monthly estimates to be produced.
The JVWS also provides comprehensive quarterly data on job vacancies by industrial sector and detailed occupation for Canada and the provinces, territories and economic regions; offered hourly wages; and job vacancy characteristics. Quarterly data for the second and third quarters of 2020 are unavailable because survey operations were temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. More information about the concepts and use of data from the JVWS is available in the Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (75-514-G).
Preliminary monthly estimates are produced for job vacancies, job vacancy rates and payroll employment using available responses from business locations sampled in the corresponding reference month. The reference period for the JVWS is the first day of the respective month.
These preliminary monthly estimates are revised and finalized when the corresponding quarterly estimates are released or shortly thereafter. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Seasonally adjusted monthly job vacancy data are available online (table 14-10-0406-01). The analyses of the job vacancy levels and rates at the national level and by sector (20 broad industrial sector groups) are based on seasonally adjusted data. However, the analyses of the job vacancy levels and rates by province are based on non-seasonally adjusted data.
While JVWS employment is calibrated to the SEPH, SEPH payroll employment and JVWS preliminary monthly employment figures may differ because of calibration grouping and differences in scope and reference period.
Real-time data tables
Real-time data tables 14-10-0357-01, 14-10-0358-01, 14-10-0331-01 and 14-10-0332-01 will be updated on February 13, 2023.
Next release
December 2022 data for the SEPH and the JVWS will be released on February 23, 2023.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is available in the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
The product "Earnings and payroll employment in brief: Interactive app" (14200001) is now available. This interactive data visualization application provides a comprehensive picture of the Canadian labour market using the most recent data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The estimates are seasonally adjusted and available by province and largest industrial sector. Historical estimates that go back 10 years are also included. The interactive application allows users to explore and personalize the information presented quickly and easily. Combine multiple provinces and industrial sectors to create your own labour market domains of interest.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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